Some fruits are so good that they can be hailed as desserts, and I just simply have to list them down here. The good part is that now, those yummy premium fruits are available in big supermarkets.
The general rule of thumb is to buy fruits in season and preferably the first pick of the season since those are way sweeter. Though the first pick will be more expensive also.
Cherry - Rainier Cherries have milder taste—not as tart, yet have a more pronounced aroma than the dark red ones. In addition, the flesh of Rainier is slightly firmer so one can gets the shiok feeling of biting into the cherry and feels the sweet juices gushing out from the fruit. Japanese cherries, shown below, is the best of the bunch due to the fragrance and the right balance of acidity and sweetness.
Strawberry - I once had the best strawberry in the world during an omakase meal at Shinji.
I had tried a box of Japanese Sachinoka strawberries near the end of strawberry season, and they were disappointingly sour.
So what I am trying to say is that avoid buying strawberries at the end of season. The differences in taste are vast.
Honoka strawberries have very pale colour flesh, but the level of sweetness is pretty out of this world, for a strawberry that is. I highly recommend getting this variety of strawberries despite the steep price. It is worth a try.
The next best strawberries is Japanese Benihoppe and Kanagawa strawberries. The sweetness of this strawberry accentuates the nectar-like aroma. Ten can be gone in less than two minutes!
Korean Maehyang strawberries considered the best among the readily available, not so expensive varieties. While the fragrance is not as pronounced, the sweetness makes them a great treat.
Yantai's strawberries are not bad since they are not sour though not as flavourful as Japanese and Koreans ones.
Apple - I always feel Royal Gala is better in texture than Fuji, and oh boy, I found out how misguided I was when I tried the Fuji apple from Japan. The Japanese one is way sweeter than the others of the same cultivar. Just when I thought that no apple can be better than Japanese Fuji, Shinano from Japan proved me wrong.
Crispy yet slightly powdery apple flesh is packed with sweet juices imbued with floral fragrances, plus the very thin skin, Shinona is a very blissful treat for fruit lovers.
Jonagold is pretty good, but it pales in comparison to Shinano and Fuji since the aroma is not as pronounced and has a slight tart taste, which does not match with the typical fragrance of apples.
Japanese apples aside, for more wallet-friendly alternatives, there are France and Brazil Royal Galas.
Asian Pear - Japan's Honsui pears are the best, hands down. These pears are crispy and exceedingly juicy. And the sweet aroma of this variety of pears is very strong. It is almost like biting into honeycomb to enjoy the refreshing honey.
China's Nam Shui pears are great alternatives since these are sweeter than Korea's Shingo pears. But take note that the pears sold at end of season do not have that distinctive sweetness and flavour.
European Pear - I have always preferred the round Asian pears over the European gourd-shaped ones since the European pears I had in childhood are harder and drier in texture. It is only recently that I discovered that there are gems among this fruit. And the Australia Bosc pears can rival the Asian pears in terms of taste and texture. The flesh of this variety is firm yet soft, so this is winning points with me already. While the cells are not packed with as much juice, it is juicy enough to be a refreshing treat. The best part is the intense sweetness and robust flavours of this pear. No wonder Bosc is the "aristocrat of pears".
Abate Fetel from Africa is pretty good too. Wait until the skin turns yellow, and the flesh of the pear will become sweet, intense, smooth while retaining some of the firm texture. It tastes a bit bitter when it is green.
I had tried a number of other varieties of European pears after this, and none can match up to the Bosc and Abate Fetel—I need to emphasize that I have not tried all kinds of pears.
Tangerine - Again, Japanese fruit takes the top spot for this category. I always dislike the sharp, offensive orangey smell of oranges, tangerines and mandarin oranges. The mikan from Japan turned me into a fan of tangerines. The smell is muted, and the fruit is very sweet with just a hint of tangy taste. Too bad, the season of Japanese mikan is the only time I will eat this class of fruits.
Mango - The Indian mango is unrivalled in terms of texture and taste. Smooth, juicy, intensely sweet, not fibrous flesh makes this mango a gem. The Benishan mango is so sinful to bite into, and this gets snapped up in supermarkets pretty fast, to the point that I used to think these are not available in local supermarkets. Indian Apple Mango is good too, but Benishan wins due to its exceedingly smooth flesh.
Next best variety is the Australian mango.
Grapes - Japanese Kyoho grapes taste like wine, and coupled with the sweetness, it is pure indulgence to have them as decadent snacks. But go for the first pick because those on sale at end of season are quite sour.
Taiwanese ones are the cheaper version. Though not as flavourful, they still bursting with the aroma of the wine. I always go for these when in cost saving mood or I am not sure if the Japanese grapes on sale are the first picks—Japanese kyoho is too expensive for me to risk buying a box of less-than-heavenly grapes.
The main issues I have with the Kyoho variety are that the skin is very thick and the flesh is soft.
This is why I consider the beautiful jade-green Shine Muscat from Okayama as the best grapes of them all. The texture of Shine Muscat is absolutely perfect with thin skin and firm flesh. Even the taste is perfect—amazingly sweet and very subtle touches of flavours of wine, melon and flower.
Aurora Black grapes from Okayama are great choices also since the taste is very similar to that of Kyoho, minus the seeds and bitter skin.
Other more readily available good options for delicious, crunchy, sweet grapes with very thin skin are Autumn Royal and Black Ardor black seedless grapes.
Blueberries - For sweet blueberries, check out African Blue from Morocco. Best enjoyed in spoonfuls.
Here are some of good finds I got from the supermarkets
